My Shadow Across Every Land

'By taking advantage of the tour, he deliberately lured out the rebels; by using the opportunity to quell the rebellion, he consolidated his power with the Augustus... Taking risks and employing cunning strategies, this was perhaps inevitable for the reformer Rovi, and the outcome was beyond doubt.'

Following the abolition and replacement of local administrative governors and bureaucrats, and the replacement of private academies established by nobles with official schools, Nero, with the help of his assistant Rovi's, reclaimed his most important and greatest power—military power.

At that time, Rome had twenty-three full-strength legions, totaling over one hundred thousand fully-fledged professional soldiers. With such power, any obstacle would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

'However, for the reformer Rovi, his reforms were far from over.'

The emperor's tour has only just begun.

The Roman Revolution

"I thought you would make them disappear completely and permanently..." As night fell and the crescent moon shone, Ainsworth flicked her long silver hair, watching the departing elder's back as he fled in panic.

Instead of killing them, Rovi chose to let them go. He clapped his hands and said, "Removing their fangs means the snakes are no longer a threat. Keeping them around will at least draw attention to them."

"The interests affected by the reforms are not limited to the Senate; from top to bottom, there are still many who dare not stand up."

"So, you're planning to leave the Senate here to draw attention away from us?"

Athena tilted her head, instantly understanding.

"That's right. Keep them around and declare that the Senate voluntarily relinquished its military power. Later, I will have Nero issue a law that grants the Senate nominal 'inspection power'."

"Then you'll use your ' Fey's Eye ' to deal with those who refuse to obey the Roman Emperor's reforms, and shift the blame to the Senate, which has nominal prosecutorial power?"

"Clever."

"That's right! I am the Goddess of Wisdom, the Third Magic User!" Ainsworth gleamed slightly. "After all this time, your Goddess of Wisdom has not been tarnished."

"If you want to say I don't have dementia, just say so... Isn't it because you're here to protect me?"

"Ah, in any case, I will not leave so easily this time." Ainsworth shook her head and slowly took Rovi's's hand. "You are the Holy Son, then I will become the Holy Daughter."

Rovi also grasped the girl's hand, looking at the goddess's face that looked over at him, unchanged from before, and said, "Then let's go, Nero is probably getting impatient waiting for you."

Nero was indeed getting impatient.

Moreover, upon learning that another woman had appeared beside Rovi, the blonde-haired Maiden Emperor's ahoge (cowlick) visibly twitched, standing out prominently in the night. "Hmm, my lord, just how many women do you have?"

A massive Roman Legion stood tall on an open field outside Antium, its banners fluttering and its imposing presence soaring into the sky, a truly awe-inspiring sight.

Nero sat in an open-air carriage, looking down at Rovi and Ainsworth as they approached.

Sitting behind Nero, Merlin also showed a curious expression. "My lord, um... I'm also, a little bit interested?"

Are there many?

Thinking about it carefully... it does seem a bit too much?

Rovi chuckled and said, "You'll find out later."

"But for now, Your Her Majesty Nero, please continue your pilgrimage to Rome!"

"Hmm?" Nero glanced at Rovi, then at Ainsworth, who was tightly holding Rovi's's hand. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she shook her head. "Then let's continue, let's continue to see My Rome!"

"Come up here, Assistant Officer Yu!"

Nero pointed to the seat next to him.

The carriage she was sitting in now was different from the previous ones. It was an open-air tour carriage, similar to a sightseeing vehicle in later times. It could not accommodate many people, with only four seats in the front and back, allowing only four people to ride.

The position of the assistant official is next to the emperor.

As for that inexplicable woman... please sit in the back. Regardless of her relationship with Rovi's, I am the only one worthy to sit next to Luo Rovi!

Although the Roman emperors did not say it, they so clearly demonstrated their will as emperors.

Then she saw Rovi take his seat.

Ainsworth nestled directly into his arms.

Their bodies were pressed close together, intimately connected.

"Hmm?" Nero was taken aback. It seemed... he'd miscalculated!

During this process, Nero even saw Ainsworth look at her with a grateful expression...

"How dare you provoke the emperor, my humble servant?"

"I didn't say or do anything." Ainsworth smiled. "Oh, Your Highness Nero Claudius, you forgot to introduce yourself."

"My name is Ainsworth, and I have a celestial identity as the goddess of wisdom."

"In terms of status, I'm no lower than you, are I?"

"..."

And so it begins again.

It seems that every woman around Luo Rovi, when they meet, will unconsciously start vying for a place beside him?

Finally, Ainsworth got up and went to the back seat.

The struggle is the struggle.

As the Goddess of Wisdom, she is also rational.

There won't be a real conflict between Rome and the Roman emperor... In any case, we live in an era of Human Order, and even if the gods could still exist, they would no longer be the main focus.

The gods are now dependent on humans.

As the Goddess of Wisdom and a human being, Ainsworth did not want her relationship with Nero, who represented humanity, to become too strained.

Rovi yawned lazily, and then in the blink of an eye, he met Merlin's eyes, which had been revealed when she removed her hood.

The girl, possessed by the Dragon of Albion, tilted her head. "My lord, what's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing, I just suddenly feel that it's better to be as simple as you."

"I don't understand, but I'm happy that you praised me, Lord Rovi."

Amidst the soft murmurs and rhythms.

Someone rode up on horseback, red hair fluttering. "Your Her Majesty Nero, Your Excellency Rovi, it's been a long time."

"Boudica ...it's been a long time indeed. You seem to be doing well?" Rovi looked over.

Nero waved his hand as well. "Hmm? It's you, sir!"

"It's good, but I wonder when you can let me go back to Britannia?" Boudica asked with a hint of helplessness.

Rovi smiled and said, "Hurry up, hurry up. The Senate no longer has the power to resist, so they probably won't insist on not awarding you a title anymore."

"But before that, I hope you can stay with the Roman legions and help us."

"That is my duty, after all, I have also received news that Britannia is developing quite well." Boudica expressed her loyalty, the valiant and beautiful female warrior said, "However, I still hope to do it as soon as possible."

"Military affairs are busy, I will have Bufan Xi and Barghest help you."

Rovi waved his hand.

A red-haired girl in a long red dress and a female warrior with a superhumanly strong and muscular physique walked over.

Buvan Hi waved to Boudica, while Barghest grinned.

"Those two..." Boudica nodded. "They are indeed formidable warriors."

The two fairies who came from Paradise were previously in the army.

Pretend to be an ordinary person.

Boudica knew them too.

"Then, let's go!"

Rovi withdrew his gaze. "Continue this imperial inspection!"

The carriage started turning again, and the horses and carriage continued to move forward.

The legions that had gathered here then departed.

The Roman legions were now all marked with the insignia of Nero Claudius; from this day forward, they would no longer be loyal to the Senate, but to the Emperor.

Rome was no longer Rome for emperors and senators.

It was the emperor of Rome.

To decentralize power, one must first centralize power; and once centralization is complete, one must begin to decentralize power.

Power should be distributed to those who are truly qualified and need to wield it.

Of course, this is what Nero is going to do.

What Rovi had to do was both simpler and more complex.

He will travel to all the lands.

Spreading the spirit of ideas and civilization, leaving its mark in people's hearts.

'Starting from Rome, reaching Sicily, then crossing the sea to Carthage, passing through Spain, Gaul, Macedon...'

"The emperor's banner flies over Rome; wherever the emperor goes, the streets are thronged with people."

Like a fiery rose, the emperor proclaimed her ideals to the people, while her silent and gentle advisors cleansed every inch of the land of filth with their iron fist.

From the big picture to the local level, from the overall direction to the specific routes...

'Throughout history, most reforms have failed because they were too detached from the people.'

' Rovi understands this principle well.'

He told everyone that true knowledge comes from practice, and that one cannot understand without discernment; truth needs to be measured and verified by oneself.

'Emperor and His Advisors: Governance and Reform'

At the beginning of the 10th century AD, it was a still wild and untamed era. Although the Roman Empire stood on the edge of the Mediterranean and radiated its power to the surrounding areas, there were still many wild and untamed areas. Even in the provinces of the Roman Empire, there were still countless primitive tribes and barbarians.

In that era, even the most powerful nation could not extend its influence to every region under its rule.

But he succeeded. He used the power of his nation to promote change in every region. He led his army into every place, changing customs and reversing the primitive and uncivilized ways.

He spread culture, he dispelled the evil spirits of ancient times, and he told people that everyone can be the master of the world.

"Hmm, is this the last place? Rome, indeed vast!"

The sunlight fell, illuminating the city ahead, and even more so the countless people standing in front of the city to welcome it.

A red carpet was laid out, and flowers were everywhere.

The ceremony to welcome the emperor remained lavish and solemn.

Nero stood on the carriage platform, hands on her hips, her swaying skirt revealing the emperor's fiery red figure.

But at this moment, she was not the only one shining.

"Hmm...it is indeed much larger than Greece back then." Ainsworth sat next to Nero, swinging her bare, fair legs, her gaze slightly somber.

With banners fluttering in front and behind, the army protecting the emperor was still the same full-strength army of a thousand men.

The army marched forward.

This was already the edge of the Roman Empire, and the end of Rome that the emperor reached after circling around it.

Further out lies the uncivilized region of this era.

The region outside the borders of the Roman Empire.

The homeland of countless barbarian tribes.

For Nero, it was a rather long journey, but along the way, no matter where or what region she went, the young emperor always maintained a fiery passion.

She wasn't without fatigue, but the thought that she was changing Rome instantly invigorated her.

The emperor's tour was more like a performance tour.

All the people witnessed the emperor's beautiful and noble figure.

Of course, he also experienced the profound wisdom of his aide, Rovi.

The emperor, needless to say.

She possessed exceptional personal charisma, and her various measures for the people earned her immense love and respect.

Wherever Rovi went, he left behind his knowledge and had disciples everywhere.

Many local scholars would visit Rovi after he arrived, and many local intellectuals would ask Rovi questions.

Initially, these people were actually trying to make things difficult for us.

They are also a group with vested interests.

They are also those whose interests have been harmed by the reforms.

In the end, however, they were all impressed by Rovi's breadth of knowledge that transcended his time and reached into the future.

Rovi's erudition has earned him widespread fame.

The name of Wisdom is already widely known.

Time has come, and the journey has come to an end.

Ainsworth turned her gaze to Rovi.

Rovi also looked at her.

"Are you still planning to continue your journey?" Athena asked.

Rovi readily agreed, "That's right."

After the end, there is a new beginning.

Rovi has made preparations.

"Lord Boudica, the legions are already arrayed at the Imperial border!"

"Logistics are ready."

"Javelins, spears, swords, shields... all supplies have been prepared!"

"Hmph!" On the border of Rome, in the area further out from the city that Rovi and his men were about to reach, amidst the rolling mountains, more Roman flags fluttered and more troops gathered.

Boudica tossed her long, crimson hair aside and glanced to the sides at the two Fey Apostle, one gold and one red.

More than half of the Roman Empire's legions were stationed here.

More than 100,000 people are equipped with it.

An army of 100,000, jointly commanded by Boudica, Barghest, and Buvan Hir.

Fully prepared and ready to go.

They are waiting.

When the emperor's tour ended, and when Nero returned to the Roman Empire.

This army will also welcome its commander.

—Rovi.

When he appointed Boudica, he told Boudica that he was not satisfied with the current territory of Rome.

He wanted to conquer a larger territory for this country.

Rome alone was not enough.

Rovi wanted to spread civilization to more distant and remote places.

In the form of conquest...

There are not enough reformers, not enough writers, and not enough educators.

If one cannot command hundreds of troops and achieve ten thousand victories.

How could he possibly be the spiritual 'king' of all people?

And how could they possibly be qualified...

To become the 'army of ten thousand' in the high heavens?

This tour was intended to gain a deeper understanding of the common people and also to take the opportunity to consolidate military power.

However, consolidating military power was also a preparation for the next stage of conquest.

The parade has ended.

That is, the war began.

This did not require much preparation—during this period, the legions within the Roman Empire were constantly mobilized.